Demon's Souls

It has amazing art, lore, and atmosphere. But in order to defeat most of the bosses you have to learn their movement and attack patterns, while doing that you often die and have to go through the whole level again that often annoyed me and I thought there should have been more shortcuts to unlock.

Or maybe I'm just a filthy casual.

After completing every dark souls game, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring. Demon's Souls was the last on my list to try, and boy did it live up to my expectations. Visually this is probably the most beautiful game I've seen in my life, mechanically it runs so smoothly and has some of the most fluid movements I've seen in a souls game aside from Sekiro. The animations, sound design, lighting, and boss designs are just a couple things I can go on about. But my main thing was the atmosphere. Every area had its own unique feeling. The Valley of Defilement felt hopeless and terrifying, like you were in a hole you knew you would die in. While Boletaria castle felt like you just missed the era of a kingdom in its prime, fallen to demons who feasted on the souls of the living. You play as a slayer who traveled to these lands for the same reason a lot of others did. To kill these demons and take their souls, as the power of a demon's soul is beyond that of human imagination. The game does an excellent job at truly making you feel like you're the last sane person left in this dreary hellscape. However depending on how you play, even you may not be sane.

Amazing game for a long time I have not played in the type of games and it is so fun to play in the game Amazing animation Crazy battles I love this game so much.

I'm also going to be honest and say that about 5 hours in, I thought about giving up and snapping my disc in half. But I persevered, and about 10-15 hours in something just clicked.

I became more patient, learned how to effectively beat the enemies, and started having fun.

The atmosphere it created and the Incredible detail in the worlds, buildings, terrain and enemies (especially the bosses) really astounded me.

For me, it was hard and unforgiving. It's not a game I could say I can relax to. But it is a game that, when things are going well, is the most rewarding that I've ever played.

The remade graphics, music, and enhanced combat fluidity are all top notch, and Bluepoint did very well at honouring the original game.. a little too well. Some additions to the game would've been welcome. And maybe even some new voice actors, since some of the original voice actors flat out sounded like they did not want to be there. (looking at you Boldwin)

Re-playing the game in the enhanced world of PS5 capabilities & graphics really made me realise how crappy the gameplay actually is in comparison to the other Soulsborne games. It's a lot more basic, with far fewer movesets for all weapons, and far fewer spells (offensive miracles practically non-existent).

My favourite class across all RPGs is a mage, and in Demon souls you need 3 essential items to play to your full potential as a mage: a ridiculous headgear, a ring, and a dagger. Basically, to do your maximum damage as a mage, you have to completely limit your gameplay (only 1 spare ring slot, same helmet for the entire game, and little to no use of a shield). Really clunky design.

That and the awful, overly-complicated and overly-punishing mechanic of 'World Tendency' made me realise that this game should've been reimagined, not just remade at a higher quality. Enhanced gameplay would've made this game one of the best of all time... instead it's just 'good'... perhaps great if you've never played Demon's Souls before. I suppose I've been spoilt by the other Souls games, but nonetheless, I stand by my comment.

It's still very much worth the playthrough, especially if you've never played it before. The worldbuilding and atmosphere are some of the best in the whole Soulsborne series. Despite the dated combat design, Bluepoint managed to make the game feel both fresh and new, as well as nostalgic and reminiscent. Overall, 8.5/10.